Ask homeschoolers which subjects they feel the most compelled to conform to public school standards when teaching and likely they will tell you math and English.
While there is no denying these are foundational subjects, in recent times—with our obsession for standardized testing growing ever greater—we have elevated them to an essential status above and beyond all other topics.
Mathematics will need to wait for a future post, but here I want to address teaching language arts in your elementary homeschool and why it need not cause you so much pressure.
Our students are currently in 9th grade, 7th grade, and 4th grade. So, we have completed “elementary school” twice already, and our youngest Agent is more than halfway there. All have a strong love of reading and writing, although their paths have been somewhat different.
You will notice as you read through the suggestions and resources in this post they mostly focus on younger children.
Once you get past the initial overwhelming feelings around learning to read and write, you will get into a groove and find language development {reading, writing, comprehension, style} sort of takes on a life of its own.
The best advice I could give you when it comes to teaching reading and writing skills is to have patience. There is no strict timeline for knowing how to read, or for composing the perfect five-paragraph essay.
If you wait until your children are receptive to what you want to teach them, I guarantee it will proceed more smoothly. There really is no point in trying to maintain a strict timeline based on what you “think” children need to know at a particular point in their education.
Children mature at their own pace, and language arts skills may appear uneven at first. Please don’t let this worry you.
Your kids will gradually become interested in more difficult books and evolve into more difficult writing assignments. They will start learning how to put words together grammatically and their vocabularies will grow. It will happen more naturally than you expect, whether you take a structured or relaxed approach.
This post will focus on teaching elementary language arts in your homeschool, with an emphasis on getting younger students excited about reading and writing. I will share ideas that worked for us, as well as resources {books and workbooks} we have used from pre-K up to and including sixth grade.
I should mention if you read my post on homeschooling very young children some of what you read may sound contradictory. Didn’t I say before about age five or six play is all they need?
Yes, I did, and I still believe that. Formal academics of any kind before a child reaches “school age” is absolutely not necessary. The focus should remain on having fun and gaining new experiences.
However, I also know homeschooling parents want to be proactive. They want to know how to bring out the best in their children. That is why I am sharing these ideas with you, including ways to encourage a love of learning in even the littlest students.
Contents
What Does Language Arts Encompass?
Before we dive in, let’s first take a look at what exactly we mean when we say language arts. What specific topics under the umbrella of English do you need to address when teaching elementary language arts in your homeschool?
Basically you could divide teaching English into teaching reading and teaching writing. But then where do you put grammar? Is it a skill you need to have to be able to write well? Or is it a skill you need to have to be able to comprehend what you read?
As you can see, it all interconnects. Many, many sub-themes could be addressed here, including reading, writing, spelling, parts of speech, grammar, vocabulary, typing skills, sentence structure, paragraph development, types of fiction and nonfiction, comprehension, essays, and presentations.
Instead of going through each of these one-by-one, however, I have tried to present an overall picture of how we approach teaching elementary language arts. In addition, this post suggests multiple book and workbook resources we have incorporated into our secular homeschooling.
What You Will Not Find Here
Of course topics some might consider essential we simply do not address at all, and you may also choose not to cover when teaching elementary language arts in your homeschool.
We have never been fans of copywork, for instance. This involves students literally copying down someone else’s words in an effort to impart certain skills, such as sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and handwriting. I find there are better ways to learn these basics.
Another favorite of many homeschoolers—especially since it started disappearing in many public and private schools—is cursive writing. I have seen many arguments in favor of teaching cursive to children, yet honestly I have not found a compelling reason to make them learn it.
Phonics is an additional area where we have many feels. I remember elementary school teachers trying to force me to go back and sound out words {that I already knew how to pronounce} and complete worksheets on phonics {when I already knew how to read} and being extremely frustrated by the whole process.
The Agents felt the same way when they came across these types of things in their work.
Still, I know many folks want to combine phonics with whole language learning, and so I have included resources that address phonics. {Mostly we just read them because they were cute rhyming stories written by one of our favorite authors.}
We also never found a complete language arts curriculum we felt strongly about. Or even one that covered just mechanics or just writing. So you won’t find specific curriculum suggestions here, per se.
{I know what you’re thinking, and nope not even that one. Or that one. Or even the one pretty much every homeschooler I have ever known raves about.}
On Learning To Read
Hang around homeschooling circles long enough and you will hear one question pop up again and again: How do I teach my children to read?
Usually this divides folks into two camps:
- Those who think you need a curriculum, a lesson plan, a step-by-step program to follow {and will offer suggestions, because of course whatever they chose is the best}.
- Those who encourage you to simply relax and wing it, reading will happen in its own time {because it worked for them, so it must be true for everyone, right?}.
In our experience, there has not been one, right way for our children to learn to read.
Like most first children, we read with Agent E a lot, because, quite frankly, we had the time. I read to her while she squiggled around on a blanket or nursed in my lap. I pointed out letters to her. She could recognize the alphabet in print well before she turned two.
Agent E also did the school thing from the beginning, starting at age two at a weekly program at the Y, then preschool for two full years from just after turning three until just after turning five.
She experienced the traditional method of learn the letters, learn the sounds, practice phonics, practice blends, learn beginning and ending sounds, learn sight words, start with basic texts, practice, practice, drill, drill, etc.
She could read independently a few months before she turned five. By “read independently” I mean she could make it from cover to cover of a simple book with minimal assistance from me. {Think Bob books and early leveled readers.}
I honestly don’t think we read with Agent J nearly as much. Wait . . . scratch that. I know we didn’t.
Going from one to two kids was IMHO the most difficult family transition we had. {More so than going from two to three, or even from zero to one.} Reading together simply didn’t happen as often as it did with her older sister.
While Agent J did attend “preschool” for a year around age two, this was primarily entirely a break for me, not because I thought she truly needed school at that age. Given this was her only classroom experience, however, for all intents and purposes she has not been to formal school.
We also never did any of the phonics, blends, sight words, etc. work with her that Eva was exposed to. We never attempted to teach her to read.
She could read independently by about age 5, just a few months later than Agent E started.
Honestly, it seemed to happen overnight. One day I thought to myself, did she just recognize that word? and the next she grabbed a book from the bookshelf and read it to me cover to cover.
Both girls love reading and soared ahead of traditional “grade level” early on. But they got there on two very different paths.
Agent A was only ten months old when we began our homeschooling journey, and he never attended preschool. We erred on the side of the “not really doing anything special” method Agent J experienced, and he began reading independently at about the same ages his sisters did.
Of course, he also had the advantage of having two older siblings who enjoy reading and spend a good deal of their time with books. His level of exposure to others reading was definitely different than either of the girls.
I truly don’t think one way is better than the other. If your child responds to a learn-to-read “curriculum” then by all means, knock yourself out. If your child thrives on simply being read to, and taking things at their own pace, then I hope you feel comfortable following their lead.
There is no “right” way to learn to read . . . just the best way for your child.
Encouraging Literacy in Young Children
For kindergarten language arts with all three Agents, we primarily focused on reading {even though technically they all knew “how” to read by the time we started} and basic writing skills.
When I say “focused on,” I mean my brain’s loose agenda for my own objective of having a vague endgame. We didn’t follow any sort of learn-to-read program or language arts curriculum. We took a relaxed approach—encouraging natural learning through day-to-day activities and fun.
But what did this look like in practice? How, specifically, can you inspire learning in your five-ish-year-old without using a set plan? What do you actually do?
- Read a lot of books to your child. This can be done by a parent, sibling, or really any other human they enjoy spending time with who can read independently. It doesn’t particularly matter if they are books the child is capable of reading alone, or above their reading level. The concept of being read to never gets old at that age.
- Have your child read books to you {or a sibling, or whomever}. Even before reading skills really catch on they will have old favorites memorized, and they will delight in “reading” you the stories. Eventually you will notice they have moved on from simply retelling the story to actually hitting every single word on the page. Uncommon words might require some prompting for a while.
- Have younger children sit in on an older sibling’s read alouds. They may not comprehend everything they are hearing, but they will enjoy listening. If they want, you can even have them sit at the table while your older students tackle their written work and have their own “school” time.
- Read books or play word games on the phone or Kindle or computer. {Have we gotten past the whole technology bashing thing yet?}
Reading and Autonomy
Another issue to consider when teaching language arts in your elementary homeschool: How much control do you exert over what your children read? How do you anticipate it will change as they grow?
A huge peeve of mine is when folks censor what their children read and dismiss fun and interesting children’s books as twaddle. Oh, how I hate that word! If your child loves a book, they should read it.
While sometimes I can’t stop myself from offering suggestions based on what I read at their ages {which sometimes they take and sometimes they don’t} for the most part they choose what they read.
My informal and unscientific anecdotal-evidence thoughts on this: Parents, and homeschooling parents in particular, tend to be split as to whether or not this is a good idea.
Some {like us} support children choosing their own books. Others feel it is necessary to censor somewhat: No popular characters, no just-for-fun series, no abridged versions, no television- or movie-based books. Words like the aforementioned twaddle and beneath them and junk food for the mind frequently get thrown out.
I’m not saying there is anything inherently wrong with wanting to expose your children to good literature. And we have read our fair share of “classics” around here. {Starting with the abridged versions, which I think only enhanced her enjoyment of reading and made her eager to read the full versions when ready.}
But . . . I also don’t have a problem with her wanting to escape into science fiction or fantasy or a movie-based book or poetry or historical fiction or even a Junie B. {although admittedly she does make me cringe a bit}.
Simply put, we don’t see certain types of reading materials as more worthy than others.
We love books. We read them. We talk about them. We don’t select titles for our children or think we can make “better” choices than they can for themselves. They know their limits. They are skilled at choosing appropriate books based on age level, reading ability, and content.
I know some folks might immediately jump to but what if they want to read [fill in the blank with some age-inappropriate content] and to that I would say, they won’t.
I wholeheartedly believe children who have always had input into the books they choose grow in awareness of their own interests and limitations when it comes to reading. I have faith in their decision-making skills.
More Ways To Develop a Love of Reading and Writing
Here are several simple things you can do to make reading and books and learning fun for your young students. {And your older students as well.}
Make Bookshelves Accessible
This may seem like a no-brainer to some, but believe me I’ve been in houses that looked more like museums rather than homes where human children actually live.
We always kept books, and lots of them, where the Agents could easily pull them out whenever they wanted. No, our bookshelves were not picturesque or organized alphabetically. Yes, sometimes they made a mess and created additional work for me.
Many of their books {especially the board books that survived all three Agents} have been, shall we say, loved. But that’s okay. I’d rather have a sentimental box full of books with frayed edges and crayon marks than a shelf full of pristine, never-opened spines.
Visit the Library Frequently
Another obvious one, no? Over the years we’ve progressed from never really using the library at all, to going maybe once a month for a handful of books, to regular weekly visits to take out a dozen or so titles, to those crazy people who can barely carry All The Books to the car.
Sometimes we have a plan {meaning Momma has specific titles, or at least sections, written down that correspond to our current studies} but often we just roam and pull out whatever looks interesting. The point remains to get there and get there often.
The sheer volume of possibilities at the library can be overwhelming, however. Often I needed to steer the Agents a bit when it came to selecting what to bring home.
Library tip: Juvenile fiction is arranged by author last name. The Senior Agents read a lot of fiction series from the time they were very young—too many to keep all those names straight—so I printed a list for each of them.
I just used a simple word document with the authors and book series listed in alphabetical order. I created a file rather than handwriting it so it could be added to easily.
Now they don’t need the reminders anymore, but it definitely came in handy at the time.
Use Closed Captioning
When the Agents were young we started watching educational shows with the subtitles on. Recognizing the words in print as they are being spoken helps tremendously.
We still do this with all television viewing. Now the Agents expect it and are bummed when it’s not an option. In my experience I have seen positive results with comprehension and spelling.
It can also be fun to switch to another language and learn new phrases. {We’ve watched Star Wars with English audio and Spanish subtitles many times. Usa la fuerza, Luke.}
Organize a Book Party
One thing we used to do frequently with the younger Agents was throw a “book party.”
Really, all this involved was putting some bean bags or pillows on the floor, gathering blankets {in fall and winter} and plopping stacks of books {from the library or ones we owned} in different spots around the room. Occasionally snacks were included.
They read silently or out loud or to each other. Sometimes they would swap books to see what their siblings were interested in reading currently.
Such a simple idea, yet it conveyed an excitement about reading that could not be replicated by me insisting, hey it’s reading time.
Write and Illustrate Your Own Book
The Agents have written numerous creative short stories and poems. We always have a supply of blank books just for this purpose. {You can pick them up at the dollar section of Target.} Of course plain writing or drawing paper works just as well.
Young children enjoy pretending and imagining and telling stories and love seeing their ideas in “print.” Even before they can write the words themselves, you can assist by transcribing for them and then having them illustrate.
Our Favorite Grammar and Writing Books
We have used these books to introduce concepts such as parts of speech, punctuation, and word usage. They are fun {and truthfully a little silly} but they have been a hit in our homeschool and hopefully you will enjoy them when teaching elementary language arts in your homeschool as well.
Note: I have linked each of the titles below to its Goodreads page so you can check out more information and see what titles would be a good fit for your secular homeschool.
Words are CATegorical
These books by Brian P. Cleary provide a great introduction to the parts of speech and basic grammar concepts. They run roughly 30 pages and have lots of illustrations with only a sentence or two on each spread. Simple enough for early elementary, yet my older students still find them entertaining. Even now we re-read them once a year just for fun.
A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun?
A Cat, a Bat, Your Grandma’s Hat: What Is a Noun?
A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime: More About Nouns
To Root, To Toot, To Parachute: What Is a Verb?
Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp: More About Verbs
Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective?
Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky: More About Adjectives
Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb?
Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More About Adverbs
I and You and Don’t Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun?
Under, Over, By the Clover: What Is a Preposition?
But and For, Yet and Nor: What Is a Conjunction?
Cool! Whoa! Ah and Oh!: What Is an Interjection?
I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction?
Thumbtacks, Earwax, Lipstick, Dipstick: What Is a Compound Word?
Feet and Puppies, Thieves and Guppies: What Are Irregular Plurals?
Pre- and Re-, Mis- and Dis-: What Is a Prefix?
-Ful and -Less, -Er and -Ness: What Is a Suffix?
Breezier, Cheesier, Newest, and Bluest: What Are Comparatives and Superlatives?
How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear: What Are Homonyms and Homophones?
A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More About Homonyms and Homophones
Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors?
Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What Is a Synonym?
Stroll and Walk, Babble and Talk: More About Synonyms
Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym?
Straight and Curvy, Meek and Nervy: More About Antonyms
Chips and Cheese and Nana’s Knees: What Is Alliteration?
Madam and Nun and 1001: What Is a Palindrome?
Sounds Like Reading
This series is also by Brian P. Cleary. Even though we are not huge fans of phonics, we enjoyed these titles.
The Bug in the Jug Wants a Hug: A Short Vowel Sounds Book
The Nice Mice in the Rice: A Long Vowel Sounds Book
Stop, Drop, and Flop in the Slop: A Short Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Blends
The Frail Snail on the Trail: A Long Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Blends
The Peaches on the Beaches: A Book About Inflectional Endings
The Clown in the Gown Drives the Car With the Star: A Book About Diphthongs and R-Controlled Vowels
The Thing on the Wing Can Sing: A Short Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Digraphs
Whose Shoes Would You Choose: A Long Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Digraphs
Basher Books
We love this series by Simon Basher and Mary Budzik. The books run approximately 60 pages and are recommended for ages 8 and up.
A different character or group of characters introduces each concept {e.g., the Divide and Conquer Crew covers parentheses, dashes, hyphens ellipses, colons, and semicolons}. The chapters are relatively short, but you could also easily just read one page a day {in order, or not}.
Grammar: Write Here, Write Now!
Punctuation: The Write Stuff!
Creative Writing: The Plot Thickens!
Don’t Forget Punctuation
These cool books by Lynne Truss illustrate quite comically just how important punctuation can be, and what happens when you get it wrong. They are all an easy, one-sitting read aimed at grades one through four.
{Yes, it’s the same Lynne Truss who wrote the “grown up” version of Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.}
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage Without Apostrophes!
Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, Every Punctuation Mark Counts!
Eats More, Shoots & Leaves: Why, All Punctuation Marks Matter!
More Great Grammar Books
Robin Pulver takes a humorous look at the English language in these books, which cover parts of speech, spelling, and punctuation. Several follow the escapades of Mr. Wright’s class, in which a group of elementary students come to appreciate just how important good grammar is. These are picture books, but appropriate {and fun} for older elementary students as well.
Happy Endings: A Story About Suffixes
Me First!: Prefixes Lead the Way
Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day
Persuading Miss Doover
Punctuation Takes a Vacation
Silent Letters Loud and Clear
Thank You, Miss Doover
The Case of the Incapacitated Capitals
Choosing a Dictionary
I have to admit I kind of struggled over this purchase. First, I wondered, with the proliferation of online dictionaries and spell check options, was navigating a paper dictionary even a skill the Agents needed to have?
Then once I determined yes, I did intend to include this as part of our curriculum, I became overwhelmed with the shear number of choices aimed at children from preschool to high school.
I finally decided on this one because I wanted something age-appropriate that would work for them right then without being too childish {like the picture dictionaries} or too overwhelming {like the intermediate selections}.
Truth is, they have somewhat “outgrown” it {at least the Senior Agents} but for approximately first through fifth grade it’s at the perfect level.
Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary
Best Book for Young Writers
Of all the creative writing books for younger students we have tried, the Agents liked this one by Loreen Leedy the best. It includes step-by-step guidelines for young wannabe authors to plan, draft, edit, and illustrate their own works.
Look At My Book: How Kids Can Write and Illustrate Terrific Books
Workbooks Can Be Fun
Stalk any homeschooling group long enough and you will definitely run across some form of workbook bashing.
Workbooks get a bad rap in many homeschooling circles. Especially among unschoolers and more relaxed homeschoolers, the word itself tends to evoke images of a young child forced to sit at a desk filling in tiresome pages of pointless busy work.
Well, I’m here to say that is not always true. Sometimes relaxed homeschoolers {such as ourselves} actually love workbooks and find them useful.
Now I don’t simply plop random pages in front of the Agents and expect them to dutifully fill them in. Our primary mode of education remains solidly book-based with travel and hands-on activities incorporated as feasible.
However, they like being able to have something written to look at, and they have discovered several series they find quite—dare I say it—enjoyable to complete. I like them as well, because they provide just enough practice without becoming too repetitive or venturing into “drill” territory.
They always choose what they do each day, and tend to incorporate their own notes, doodles, and coloring along the way. It helps with retention and suits their “visual” learning needs well.
Of all the workbooks we have tried, we find ourselves coming back to three particular resources: Workman Publishing, Carson Dellosa Education, and Flash Kids. All of the workbooks listed below came from these publishers.
Note: As with the books, I have linked each of the workbook titles below to its Goodreads page so you can check out more information and see which titles would be a good fit for your secular homeschool. There were a handful I could not find on Goodreads; they have been linked their Amazon pages instead.
Brain Quest
These workbooks cover not only language arts but also math, science, and social studies for pre-K through 6th grade. They run 300+ pages and can be done in any order.
Brain Quest Workbook: Pre-K
Brain Quest Workbook: Kindergarten
Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 1
Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 2
Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 3
Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 4
Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 5
Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 6
Star Wars
Oh, how I wish they published these workbooks for older kids! Right now they only include pre-K to 4th grade. Star Wars just makes everything more fun! Note the newer titles {3rd and 4th grades} combine reading and writing into one workbook.
Star Wars Workbook: Preschool ABC Fun
Star Wars Workbook: Kindergarten Phonics and ABCs
Star Wars Workbook: Kindergarten Writing and ABCs
Star Wars Workbook: 1st Grade Reading
Star Wars Workbook: 1st Grade Writing Skills
Star Wars Workbook: 2nd Grade Reading
Star Wars Workbook: 2nd Grade Writing
Star Wars Workbook: 3rd Grade Reading and Writing
Star Wars Workbook: 4th Grade Reading and Writing
Spectrum
Spectrum workbooks are another series we have enjoyed {although we have liked the language arts related titles a lot more than the math and science ones}.
I should note here this particular collection has a ton of different language arts workbook options, so to simplify I have only listed those we have personally used, or titles similar to ones we have used. You may want to peruse the online catalog to see other available choices.
Spectrum Phonics Readiness: Pre-K–Kindergarten
Spectrum Reading Readiness: Preschool
Spectrum Writing Readiness: Preschool
Spectrum Language Arts: Kindergarten
Spectrum Reading: Kindergarten
Spectrum Writing: Kindergarten
Spectrum Spelling: Kindergarten
Spectrum Language Arts: Grade 1
Spectrum Reading: Grade 1
Spectrum Writing: Grade 1
Spectrum Spelling: Grade 1
Spectrum Language Arts: Grade 2
Spectrum Reading: Grade 2
Spectrum Writing: Grade 2
Spectrum Spelling: Grade 2
Spectrum Language Arts: Grade 3
Spectrum Reading: Grade 3
Spectrum Writing: Grade 3
Spectrum Spelling: Grade 3
Spectrum Language Arts: Grade 4
Spectrum Reading: Grade 4
Spectrum Writing: Grade 4
Spectrum Spelling: Grade 4
Spectrum Language Arts: Grade 5
Spectrum Reading: Grade 5
Spectrum Writing: Grade 5
Spectrum Spelling: Grade 5
Spectrum Language Arts: Grade 6
Spectrum Reading: Grade 6
Spectrum Writing: Grade 6
Spectrum Spelling: Grade 6
Brighter Child
Brighter Child {which, like Spectrum, is under the Carson-Dellosa umbrella} is a series we have not utilized extensively, but the workbooks we have completed have been enjoyable and helpful. They also includes a number of phonics and sight word workbooks for younger students if you would like to check them out at their online catalog.
Handwriting {Printing}: Grades K-2
Reading: Grade 1
Reading: Grade 2
English & Grammar: Grade 3
English & Grammar: Grade 4
English & Grammar: Grade 5
English & Grammar: Grade 6
Skill Builders
These workbooks come in a smaller {6 x 9} size, and run approximately 80 pages. They focus on reviewing skills already established as opposed to introducing new concepts.
Grammar: Grade 3
Reading Comprehension: Grade 3
Grammar: Grade 4
Reading Comprehension: Grade 4
Grammar: Grade 5
Reading Comprehension: Grade 5
Grammar: Grade 6
Reading Comprehension: Grade 6
Harcourt Family Learning
While all three Agents have completed several of these workbooks in various grade combinations, Writing Skills has been the runaway favorite at every level. Spelling, on the other hand, they felt eh about {likely due to their negative feels about phonics}.
Reading Skills: Grade K
Language Arts: Grade 1
Reading Skills: Grade 1
Writing Skills: Grade 1
Spelling Skills: Grade 1
Language Arts: Grade 2
Reading Skills: Grade 2
Writing Skills: Grade 2
Spelling Skills: Grade 2
Language Arts: Grade 3
Reading Skills: Grade 3
Writing Skills: Grade 3
Spelling Skills: Grade 3
Language Arts: Grade 4
Reading Skills: Grade 4
Writing Skills: Grade 4
Spelling Skills: Grade 4
Language Arts: Grade 5
Reading Skills: Grade 5
Writing Skills: Grade 5
Spelling Skills: Grade 5
Language Arts: Grade 6
Reading Skills: Grade 6
Writing Skills: Grade 6
Spelling Skills: Grade 6
Our Favorite Books for Young Readers
Finally, I would like to take a look at some of our favorite children’s books we have read over the years. These stories {mostly fiction, but a few non-fiction choices} took the Agents from first recognizing words in print as pre-K students to confident independent readers as early elementary students.
I will be honest: Narrowing down these titles was not an easy task. However, in an effort to keep the selections somewhat under control, I limited each category to 10-15 favorites. I enlisted Agent help in brainstorming each list, and tried to include titles we read extensively and have a bit of a nostalgic attachment to.
I am a little surprised {not in a good way} at the incredible lack of diversity in both characters and authors presented here. We have grown and improved in that respect. A list of their later elementary, teen, or YA choices would definitely reflect that.
Note: Most of the books listed here are part of a series, so I have linked to the main Goodreads page for the collection or the author’s Goodreads page.
Early Readers
These titles are good for those just starting out with reading. Some have a few words per page {often rhyming} or one sentence per spread. Others have more text with a slightly more complex “plot” but still not quite enough to be divided into chapters.
Basher ABC Kids
Berenstain Bears
Biscuit
Bob Books
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Curious George
Dr. Seuss {various titles}
Elephant and Piggie
Gossie and Friends
Little Critter
Little Golden Books
Olivia
Pete the Cat
Sandra Boynton {various titles}
Spot the Dog
Transitioning To Chapter Books
These books vary the length and complexity of sentences, but still include many illustrations. The text is divided into very short chapters. You may see some of these titles listed as “leveled readers” with increasing numbers corresponding to increasing difficulty.
Annie and Snowball
Dodsworth
Frog and Friends
Frog and Toad
Henry and Mudge
Poppleton
Mouse and Mole
Mr. Putter and Tabby
National Geographic Kids
Star Wars {various titles}
Young Cam Jansen
First Chapter Books
I would consider these to be “true” chapter books. Many still have plenty of pictures, but smaller, typical “book” print and a higher page count. The Agents were reading these books pretty early on {first or second grade ish} but they would still pick up one and read it later in elementary school {or even now, because, nostalgia}.
Arthur
Bad Kitty
Cam Jansen
Captain Underpants
Disney Fairies: The Never Girls
Dr. KittyCat
Junie B. Jones
Magic Animal Friends
Magic Tree House
Owl Diaries
Palace Pets
Rainbow Magic
I hope you have found something here to help you on your journey as you embark on teaching elementary language arts in your homeschool. I invite you to scroll back through all the links and check out whatever titles look interesting to you and your students. If I planned everything correctly, they should all open in a new tab. Feel free to share any new-to-you titles or other ideas in the comments.
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